Two weeks ago I tried to make an appointment with my GP. Since it was tedious administrative routine (renewing my prescription for gluten-free pasta, which I still can't bring myself to believe is worth wasting a medical professional's time for in the first place), I didn't think it was worth booking an urgent same-day appointment, and instead tried to book in advance. It turned out they didn't have any advance appointments earlier than a week later – you can have today, or next week, and nothing in between.

When I arrived for my appointment they said I didn't have one.

I was not best pleased, but the receptionist was utterly unwilling to do anything to compensate, so the best I could do was to walk away with an appointment card promising me an appointment in another week's time.

This morning I turned up for that one, and this time I got to see a doctor. However, I still didn't walk away with a prescription in my hand – because all their printers, or at least all the ones they tried, were broken!